Neural Network Learns to Remove Scratches from Still and Moving Images.

Algosoft has launched new Viva 4.4.1.0 with a new AI generation of DeScratch tool based on Neural Network.

Scratch removal is traditionally the most difficult and tricky technique, due to the scratches variability and their similarity to vertical structures in the background and/or other objects.

For the first time, Neural Networks were applied to create a technique for reliable scratch detection and removal. Although the Neural Network technique looks natural here, the implementation of Neural Networks for scratch recognition and detection had a number of issues, including the lack of ground truth data, errors in the training database, and finding the right topology of Neural Networks for thin scratches.

What did we learn? Even after choosing an appropriate Deep Learning model and training the model across a tone of corrupted footage with different types of scratches, AI alone is not good enough. Combined with existing wavelet based technology it gives outstanding quality improvement and dramatically reduces restoration artifact.

This step forward gives hope that the gap between human and unsupervised digital film restoration might be narrowing soon.